While it may be fashionable right now, homebrewing is not a new hobby. Beer brewing has been practised, in some form or another, for around 16,000 years or since settlers began to cultivate grain. Among the earliest written words ever discovered are a recipe for a homebrewed beer made from bread. So, it’s wonderful to see a new generation of homebrewers creating exciting beverages using techniques which are surprisingly similar to those their ancestors would have used.

Today, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about the practice of homebrewing: brewing your own fantastic beer at home. It’s a lengthy process and it does require patience, perseverance and attention to detail. However, it’s probably much easier than you think. The thing about homebrewing is that the length of time it takes tends to intimidate people. Things happen slowly. They need to be checked carefully.

It’s not a difficult process; it’s a precise one. And it’s a highly rewarding one too. Let’s start by taking a look at the ingredients required for a successful homebrew.

What Ingredients Do I Need for a Homebrew?

Water

If we go by volume, water makes up the biggest proportion of any homebrewed beer. For most, the amount is anywhere between 90-96%. So, it makes sense to use water with a pleasant taste that’s not too hard or too rich in minerals like sulphur and bicarbonates. As water is very important to these recipes, many brewers use bottled spring water. However, for your first home batch, regular tap water should be fine as long as it doesn’t taste of chlorine or hard minerals.

Barley (Malt)

The crucial source of malt in your homebrew comes from a malted grain such as barley. It’s similar to wheat but with a specific shape and size. For the purposes of DIY beermaking, barley grains are steeped at specific temperatures and grown under strict conditions to encourage a larger, richer yield. It is essential the barley grains are grown, then cut off from growing at precisely the right time. This process ensures the starches turn into the sugars required for fermentation.

If you cannot source pre-milled barley grains, you must be willing to crush them yourself. You can do this rather easily with a Ziplock bag and a rolling pin. Just place the grains inside, commence to bashing with the rolling pin and, voila, perfectly milled barley grains.

Hops

For many DIY homebrewers, the most exciting part of the ingredient list is the hops. While hops get plenty of attention from beer connoisseurs – they’re one of those words that constantly crops up in discussions about microbreweries – it’s rare to actually see them up close unless you’re creating drinks at home. Hops are a super tall vine species which, when added to beer recipes, generate bitterness to counteract the sweetness of the malt. They also have the practical benefit of slowing down spoilage.

Yeast

In many ways, yeast is the most complex ingredient. Although we did promise to keep things simple, so we won’t go into detail about the many different types you can buy. Yeast is a microorganism which is very much active and alive. It feeds on sugar and, when added to a sugary sweet concoction like a homebrew, it consumes all that is available and expands in size as a result. The very important by product of this process is, of course, alcohol.

Yeast is not difficult to source. It’s widely available in supermarkets and health stores. However, many types are not suited to beermaking, so we strongly recommend you buy a yeast product that’s been specifically created for brewing (rather than baking or another ‘cooking’ process). Lager yeasts ferment at colder temperatures. Ale yeasts begin to ferment at much warmer temperatures.

What Equipment Do I Need for Homebrewing Beer?

Homebrewing requires you to have a lot of specific items to hand though most are easily sourced. They are widely available and, in most cases, reasonably affordable. You could even ask to see if friends and/or relatives have any spare pieces of equipment lying around collecting dust. You’d be surprised at what you can find in people’s storage spaces.

The basic equipment you’ll need includes:

1 x Plastic Fermentation Bucket

Your plastic container should hold around 22 litres which is equivalent to forty pints. It should also have a secure airtight lid. One place you might want to look is your favourite restaurant or takeaway; the lidded food buckets they use (and normally throw away) are near perfect.

1 x Long Handled Spoon

The brewing spoon doesn’t need to be special in any way, but it should have a fairly long handle. The longer the handle, the easier it’ll be to stir your beer.

1 x Beer Barrel/40 Beer Bottles

You’ll need somewhere to store your DIY beer once it’s brewed. You can buy homebrew barrels – in this case, get yourself a 22 litre barrel – or you can use standard beer bottles. We recommend the latter because it’s cheaper and environmentally friendly; most bars are perfectly happy to let homebrewers reuse their empty glass bottles if they ask nicely.

1 x Clear Plastic Tube

You’ll need this to get the beer into the barrel once the brew is fermented and almost ready for drinking. We recommend a clear plastic tube between 2-3 metres in length.

1 x DIY Brewing Kit

This is not strictly orthodox if we’re talking true DIY every step of the way homebrews. However, we want to show you several different ways to create beer and these ‘ready to go’ kits are one of the easiest and quickest methods. They’re also the best way to end up with a taste you recognise; you can buy brew kits with flavour profiles set up to resemble your favourite commercially brewed beverages.

Sterilising Powder

Sterilising powder is easy to find online if you can’t source it at a supermarket or health food store. Look for powders which are sold specifically as sterilising agents for homebrewing. You can also use crushed up campden tablets as an alternative if you find and prefer them.

Measuring Cups

Again, very self-explanatory; homebrewing is all about precision so make sure you have measuring containers to get the ingredients amounts just right.

5-10 Sachets of Yeast

If you don’t get yeast sachets in a DIY brewing kit, you can pick them up from most supermarkets. Look in the baking section.

1 x Beer Capping Tool

Don’t forget, you’ll need a beer capper to put the lids on your beers once they’re finished and ready for storage. You can pick up these tools for a low cost online. They’re pretty simple and work like a reverse bottle opener, putting a sealed lid on rather than removing it. The capper needs to be reliable because, if beer isn’t stored in an airtight container, it quickly spoils.

Why Is Sanitation So Important for Homebrewed Beer?

If you know even a little about homebrewing, you’ll know sanitation is often talked about as a kind of bogeyman, the homebrewing trickster that’ll leave you with a week of hard work and no product to show for it. So, we want to put some common myths to bed.

Firstly, there’s nothing dangerous about drinking spoiled beer. Spoiled beer can happen for a number of reasons but, most often, it’s a result of improper sanitation and the accidental introduction of unwanted bacteria. It’s not dangerous, it won’t kill you, but it might taste very bad. For a beer that’s drinkable, flavour wise, the sanitation needs to be right.

Before starting the brewing process, you’ll need to sterilise all your equipment using the sterilisation powder you bought earlier. Scrub the equipment with soap and a clean cloth to begin with, then sterilise and sanitise it using the powder. Put a few teaspoons of the powder into your fermentation bucket and add warm water.

Leave this to soak for a minimum of two hours minimum. Lastly, add all of the equipment to the water in the bucket and leave it for another two hours. Remove and rinse everything thoroughly when you’re ready to start brewing. Throughout the process, keep cleanliness in mind and regularly re-sanitise equipment, surfaces, containers and your own hands.

Three Ways to Brew Your Own Beer At Home

Homebrewing may not be as complicated as people assume but it is a time consuming process. You’ll need several hours on the first day just for mashing, boiling, combining and cooling your ingredients. After that, be aware that even the easiest DIY homebrew kits need to be placed in a warm area for at least four days to ferment.

Be patient. Let all these wonderful ingredients do their job and come together to create something delicious.

One more thing: make sure to check the instructions for your yeast sachets. Some yeasts need to be warmed to room temperature overnight. Always check to make sure; you don’t want to arrive at brewing day and realise you’re not ready.

The Easy Way – Making Beer from a Homebrewing Kit

The homebrewing kits with the commercial flavour profiles we discussed earlier are widely available and easy to use. Standard kits include a large portion of malt extract infused with hops and a smaller amount of yeast (you may still need to add your own). The more expensive kits tend to include a little more malt extract. You could go this route if you prefer a thinner beer. The more refined sugar in the malt, the thinner the beverage.

If you’re thinking, couldn’t I buy a cheaper kit and add my own malt extract, you’re right. You could do this. However, the price difference between the cheaper and more expensive brew kits is usually quite small. Paying for extra malt extract would probably bring your total to the same cost as a pricier brewing kit anyway. It’s something to keep in mind.

Homebrewing Kit Method:

1. Boil 3.6 litres (6 ¼ pints) of water. It’s a good idea to boil a little more than your recipe suggests. Don’t forget, the boiling process will reduce the volume of water in the pan.
2. If you haven’t already done it, sanitise your fermentation bucket/container and stirring spoon. Malt extract can be awkward to decant. However, if you place it in warm water (while still in its container) for a few minutes first, it becomes less viscous and easier to handle. We recommend you do this before adding it to the fermentation bucket.
3. Add the malt extract to the fermentation container. Then, add the boiling water and stir vigorously. The malt extract needs to be completely dissolve. If your DIY brewing kit requires you to add your own sugar (check the packet’s instructions to be sure), this is when you should put it in.
4. Add as much cold water as the packet’s instructions advise. If you want a stronger alcoholic beer, you can add slightly less water and vice versa.
5. Some brewing kits come with powdered hops. If yours has a powder, add it to the fermentation container only after the liquid has reached room temperature. This doesn’t need to be totally precise; just make sure it isn’t too hot or too cold, just comfortably lukewarm.
6. The container must now be allowed to ferment in a warm location for 4-7 days.
7. You’ll know it’s ready when there are no more bubbles being produced. Hydrometers are really handy for this stage of the brewing process. These little gadgets cost very little, they’re widely available and they can tell you what alcohol content a brew has reached.
8. Now, it’s time to put your homebrew in the bottle.

The Medium Difficulty Way – Making Beer Using Malt Extract

To try something a little harder, you can get rid of the homebrewing kit and use a method featuring malt extract instead. Extract brewing comes with the advantage of more freedom over flavour profiles. You can experiment with different hops and malts, put exciting new combinations together and create something a bit more unique.

To make a homebrew using this method, you’ll need a high quality malt extract, hops and yeast (everything you’d usually get in a DIY kit). We’ve provided an ingredient list (below) to help you create the perfect first brew:

• 13 litres (23 pints) of water
• 1kg (2lb 2oz) malt extract
• 55g (2oz) dried hops
• 750g (1 ½ lb) sugar or pale dried malt extract
• Ale Yeast

Method:

1. Boil half (6.5 litres) of the water. Add the malt extract to the pan. Then, boil for a further 25-30 mins. Add the hops and boil again for another half an hour.
2. Use a colander to strain the brew mixture into your fermentation bucket or container. Don’t forget to stir constantly to dissolve the malt extract and keep the sugar moving.
3. Add the remaining water and set aside to cool. When the liquid has arrived at room temperature, slowly add the yeast.
4. Now, it’s time to seal the container with an airtight lid. It needs to be stored (and left unmoved) in a warm space until fermentation is complete. Again, if you have a hydrometer, it’s easier to know when this has happened. When hydrometer readings start to become consistent and regular, the fermentation process is ending.
5. Take your empty bottles (the ones you’re reusing for your own brew) and carefully add a teaspoon of sugar to each. Now, siphon the beer into the bottles using your clear plastic tube. Take care to avoid the sediment; you don’t want this getting in your bottles.
6. Leave the bottles untouched for a minimum of ten days. After this, they should be ready for drinking. Enjoy.

The Hard Way – Using All Grain Brewing to Make a Homebrew

This next method would be considered the hard or ‘expert’ way to brew a home beer. It’s a little more precise – you’ve really got to get your timings and amounts right – but it isn’t the endlessly complex task people like to think.

Imagine brewing is just like baking. There are many different steps involved but, individually, none of the steps are too complicated. It’s just crucial you perform each one carefully (and with exactly the right timings and measurements) because, success relies on each stage of the ‘bake’ being high quality.

The term ‘all grain’ brewing refers to the process of fermenting all the sugar and having the alcohol come entirely from the sugar. There’s no shortcut here. You won’t be using any malt extract to speed up the process. You’ll also need to undertake a period of careful, precise ‘mashing;’ otherwise known as boiling the grains. Mashing requires the grains to be held at a specific temperature until starches turn into sugar.

Ingredients:

• 20 litres (35 pints) of water (hard if you can get it)
• 65g (2oz) hops
• 2.25kg (5lb) pale malt
• 225g (½ lb) crushed crystal malt
• Ale Yeast

Method:

1. Heat half of the water to 75°C. Now, carefully pour the liquid into a properly sanitised and airtight container (it can’t be your fermentation bucket because you’ll need this later). In our experience, a standard picnic cool box with a robust airtight seal is a good choice.
2. Add the pale malt grains to a small square of lightweight, highly porous cloth (muslin is normally the cloth of choice for homebrewers). Tie the corners together to create a little bag so the grains can be in the water, interacting with it, but you don’t have to go in and scoop them out later. It’s just neater…and more efficient.
3. Add the bag of malt grains to the boiled water in the sterilised container. Replace the lid. Set aside for sixty minutes.
4. After sixty minutes, strain the water (now ‘infused’) into a large pan. Set aside.
5. Heat another 5 litres (8 ¾ pints) of water to 75°C. Repeat steps two to four.
6. Add your hops to a square of muslin just as you did with the malt grains. Once secure, place the ‘bag’ into your infused water or ‘wort’. Make sure none of the hops are going to spill out because the mixture now needs to be boiled for an hour.
7. Once boiled, strain the liquid into your fermentation container.
8. At this stage, it’s really important for the wort (water) to cool down fast. You can help it along by putting the container outdoors, partially submerging it in ice water or placing it in a cold areas of your house. It needs to plunge from 75°C (or higher) to just 21°C. Once it has reached this temperature, and only then, add the yeast.
9. Put an airtight lid on the fermentation container. Now, set aside and leave for a minimum of four days but up to fourteen days. Again, you can use a hydrometer to tell you when the fermentation process is ending. You’ll know because the readings will start to become much more consistent and far less variable over 2-3 days.
10. It’s time to start bottling. We recommend placing half a teaspoon of sugar in each bottle before filling them with your homebrew. Similarly, if you’re siphoning into a barrel, add four tablespoons of sugar to the bottom first. Leave your brew still and undisturbed for another seven days (minimum) before you think about drinking it.

Some Points to Consider When Fermenting Home Beers

Even a small deviation from a brewing recipe can give a home beer a much different flavour profile to what was intended. This is part of the excitement of brewing for the first time. As you gain experience, you’ll find new ways to stay consistent and produce the flavours you love time after time. To begin with, just be aware the temperature at the start of fermentation can have an impact on flavour.

The faster the beer begins to ferment (which happens if it’s not cooled quickly beforehand), the higher the volumes of ester and diacetyl. These compounds are known to generate noticeably fruitier flavours (similar to pear and banana). If you don’t like the sound of this, transfer your brew liquid to a cold location immediately after boiling. You don’t want to cool it quickly and leave it cold; once chilled, return it to warmer temperatures for fermentation.

So… Is It Illegal To Live Off The Grid?

It is legal to live off the grid in the United States, so technically the answer is no it’s not illegal, but in many areas it can be very difficult to do because of regulations set up by the state. When it comes to separating completely from all infrastructure provided by the state you are more than likely to run into some issues. As long as you comply with all rules and restrictions as well as have the appropriate permits then it is yes of course legal to do.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to disconnect. It’s okay to plant your own crops, build your own home and even create your own source of power. Many people do this every day. However, things can get complicated when you’re dealing with local government rules and ordinances that can interfere with the off the grid lifestyle.

When it comes to the legalities of living off the grid, here are the main problem areas to keep in mind as well as do some research on:

1. Your home may be required to have a certain minimum amount of square footage.

Even though you can build any kind of home that you want on your land, there may be county or city ordinances that require a minimum amount of square footage. If this requirement is not met, your building permit may be denied. That government office has the final say on all buildings, and a permit is mandatory before you can start building. There are also building codes to be aware of. These codes can sometimes vary by city and state.

Most city and county government offices mandate that a home must be between 500 to 1000 square feet at a minimum. This means that you can’t build a tiny house or cabin on your land. The government office likely won’t accept a permit for anything less than the minimum square footage requirements unless you get a variance. Variances are exceptions to the rules. They are also very difficult to have approved.

2. Your lot must meet minimum size requirements.

There are also lot requirements. They can vary depending on where you live. If you live in the city limits, lots usually have to be at least 5000 square feet or more. Lots in rural areas are often 5 to 10 acres. Some rural lots are 25 to 50 acres or more. Most counties set limits on the amount of land that you can parcel out to sell or to use for business purposes.

If you apply for a variance for your lots and the variance is approved, you still have to do more work. Your land will then be classified as a subdivision. Most subdivisions are required to have roads for transportation and ditches to manage water. You will probably be asked to submit a plan to the respective local government office for your lots. The plan should list where each lot, road, ditch and other necessary items are located.

Once approved, each of your lots will be given an address and will be registered with the city. The subdivision has to be approved by county government. That means that you’ll have to appeal to their offices and allow your neighbors and the county committee to vote on whether or not to approve your subdivision. It’s a good idea to be on good terms with your neighbors. The fate of your property may wind up in their hands.

3. There must be a source of water.

Most city and county government dictate that individual property has to have a good source of water. This is required for health and sanitation purposes. If you’re fortunate enough to have your own well or own some lake-shore property, you might not need to worry about hooking up to your city’s water supply. If you need to have a well drilled, the cost is typically around $5000 or more.

Another alternative is installing a grey-water system. Grey-water systems treat water so that it can be reused continuously for dishes, showers, baths and sinks. This water can also be used in toilets and in irrigation on your land. These kinds of systems help to extend the useful life of your existing well by reusing water that is already on the surface. It may even help you save money over time.

If you need to hook up to the city’s water system, be prepared to put a dent in your wallet for the connection charge. Depending on where you live, connecting your property to city water can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars or more. Connecting to city utilities is a more cost-effective solution for many land owners, especially if the county requires that all residents be connected to the city water system.

It is illegal in some places to collect rainwater

Collecting rainwater can be a great source to fulfill all of your freshwater needs. It is especially abundant if you have a sort of grey-water recycling system set in place but unfortunately some states prohibit your ability to collect the rain water that falls on your property. That’s right, in some places you are not allowed to collect the water that comes out of the sky on land that you own, crazy! So before you decide that you will use rainwater as your main water source make sure to check with your local authorities to make sure that you aren’t breaking any laws.

4. You can’t camp out on your own land permanently.

Most locations forbid a property owner from camping out on their own land for more than two weeks. While this intentions behind such rules are usually to prevent reduction of home values and the establishment of tent communities by homeless people, this restriction can hinder people who are building on their land.

It means that you can’t camp out while on your land for more than two weeks while you’re building or remodeling your home. The only way in most cases to camp out on your property beyond that time period is to receive a camping permit from your local government office. You may have to stay with family members or friends or rent another dwelling in the meantime, which can add an unexpected expense to your budget.

5. There must be a proper septic system.

Most lots are required to have a sufficient septic system. Many county government offices will have a minimum size septic system that must be installed. If you don’t already have one, a percolation test should be requested first. This test will examine the soil’s absorption rate to see if it meets the standards for a septic drain field.

Installing a septic system can take more time and money than you may have initially planned for. Certain areas may insist that such work can only be performed by a licensed contractor, which can take even longer and be even more costly. A permit is also required to install a septic system. The system should also be emptied every few months by a vacuum truck.

6. There also has to be a sufficient power source.

Depending on where you live, you may also be mandated to be connected to the city’s public utilities. The further you are away from rural areas, the less restrictive such rules should be, but that’s not guaranteed.

Certain areas will allow you to place solar panels on your property to generate power. Some cities even encourage people to participate in a connected solar power network that allows you to sell any unused power that you generate to the city. It can take a while to generate surplus power, however, and you’ll still probably have to pay for city electrical services if your solar panels don’t generate enough electricity for your needs at home. You may even be able to sell that surplus power to your local utility company. It can be a good source of extra income, as long as you’re rationing your own power needs carefully.

It might not be a bad idea to have a backup power source as well. Solar panels aren’t very efficient on dark or cloudy days. Wind turbines are an option, but they can be expensive. Most wind turbine systems run about $5000 or more. Adding a backup generator to your solar power system may be a more feasible alternative. Just be aware that they can also be costly. A good solar power generator can run anywhere from a few thousand to ten thousand dollars or more.

In Closing

You may not be able to live entirely off the grid, but disconnecting from the modern world as much as possible can be a great stress reliever. It allows you to get back to the basics and focus on what really matters. The goal won’t be easy to accomplish, and there may be some obstacles along the way. However, if you’re set on living a simpler life, then by all means you should go for it.

Unfortunately, though life off grid is a chosen path of minimalism and self sufficiency, there are some needs that are simply too complex for the average person to meet with mere survival skills.

That being said, today we’re going to discuss one of the bigger challenges faced by those who are enjoying life off the grid – income.

How Do I Make Money Homesteading Off The Grid?

While being able to meet your own basic needs is one of the biggest points to living off grid, there will be times when you face a challenge or need that you are unable to meet through traditional survival techniques, and those challenges and needs are most easily met with cold hard cash. And that’s where it becomes a challenge – Life off grid, is like nothing most modern society is accustomed to. There aren’t daily commutes to the local coffee shop, there aren’t daily trips to the local eateries, and more commonly, there aren’t daily commutes to a workplace to earn a traditional paycheck.

You may know how to perform all the routine maintenance and repairs associated with life on your off-grid homestead, but what happens when maintenance and repairs are no longer an option, take for instance the generator that’s been your primary source of electric for the past three years finally reaches its last limits and the engine fails beyond repair and must be replaced? Or worse, the actual generator head – you’re now faced with a major out of pocket cost, even if you know how to do the swap out yourself. Or maybe there’s a medical emergency that exceeds your ability to remedy using homeopathic methods and requires a visit to a medical doctor or pharmacy?

Simply put, you’re going to need ways to generate income and offset these routine and unforeseen expenses; but the question is how? We’ve put together a list of thirty ways for you to make money while living off the grid.

1) Working from home/ telecommuting.

There are many options for working from home, whether it’s as a freelance writer through the myriad online platforms currently available or even by publishing your own daily journals online through a blogging platform and arranging assorted advertising possibilities from different tool makers and other similar companies. If writing isn’t your groove, there are many modern employers who welcome new employees who prefer to telecommute for positions ranking from basic data entry, all the way to various IT/ customer relations opportunities, and almost everything in between. While it may not seem as lucrative when you first start, any business venture, especially those stemming from the basis of cottage industry tends to take a little more time and effort to build.

2) Leasing out that extra bedroom.

If you’re one of the fortunate ones who’ve gotten your homestead up and running strongly, you can easily turn the curiosity of others into a pleasant, and productive revenue stream by listing extra living space such as a spare bedroom online through sites such as Air BnB. It may sound odd to invite a stranger into your home, but, using marketing pitches appealing to the uniqueness of homesteading, the locally sourced, organic foods, etc will be more of a draw than you might realize and the more interesting and ‘off the beaten path’ you are able to make the guest’s experience, the more desirable it will be to the general market. An easy thing to remember is the more they want to experience, the more you’re able to charge. And, before you scoff, think back to when you were first trying to decide if living off grid was for you. Not to be forgotten are the thrill seekers – those random travelers who are always looking for a new experience

3) Selling surplus garden goods.

If you’re fortunate enough to have the tools and healthy soil, a surprisingly profitable niche market you may want to consider examining is selling your surplus produce (vegetables, etc) via open air markets, farmers markets or even directly from your homestead if you live in an area that is easily accessible to the general public. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to pay a price equal to or even a bit more than traditional retail for organic, homegrown produce. Another marketing resource you may want to look into is if your area has a local whole foods store, or a little known and even less approached option is to speak to the head chef or kitchen manager in charge of local up scale restaurants. If you’re willing to keep your prices fair, and produce a quality product, many chefs (dependent on your local health codes) are more than happy to do business with local suppliers as the fresher their ingredients, the higher the quality of their final product. Beyond that, most chefs pride themselves on having the proverbial feather in their cap of saying their ingredients are locally sourced.

4) Sell the “experience of a lifetime”.

While leasing to tourists a night or two at a time will generate a pleasant, sustainable revenue. Your life off the grid is more of a novelty for most people than you may realize. Why not cash in on that? Offer immersive stays, reminiscent of the dude ranches of days gone by. A week, two weeks maybe even a month long experience where your guests participate directly in your day to day life, getting their hands dirty, practicing the skills you’ve already mastered, except not only do they pay you – you also get free labor out of the deal. Yes, this particular approach will require a bit more patience on your end, but the rewards will prove well worth the potential frustrations.

5) Show off your “neighborhood”.

If you happen to be someone who’s gotten really lucky and established your homestead not only off the grid, but off the beaten path, and you’ve taken the time to genuinely familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and surrounding resources – host weekly/ monthly nature hikes. Want to increase the net gains? Simple, as your hikes gain momentum and popularity, limit the number of participants with each group – give your guests a sense of exclusivity, they’ll happily pay a premium for it.

6) Market yourself.

It may sound odd to you at first, but, if once you’ve built a reputation whether be through writing, crafts or other means that can be tied directly to your homesteading lifestyle, approach different potential sponsors, you would be surprised how many companies are willing to attach their name to a niche market if it has a proven track record.

7) Offer your services as a hunting guide.

If you own a larger property (75 + acres), or have the exclusive hunting and trapping rights to desirable tracts of land, Hosting three to seven day hunting excursions can prove extremely lucrative. Incorporating certain guidelines or stipulations such as limiting the number of spaces available each trip, the number of annual trips, the methods by which game may be taken, arranging a discount rate with a local, quality taxidermist or incorporating a harvest sharing arrangement to ensure that nobody leaves empty handed will drive your marketability through the roof. Another way to appeal to trophy hunters – yes, I realize the practice goes against the self-sufficiency aspect of living off grid – is to offer a discounted rate if they choose not to keep the meat from their harvest. This means money in your pocket AND meat in your stores that you didn’t have to hunt.

8) Offer workshops on herbalism.

If you’ve got your herbal remedies down to a science, put it to work! Offer seasonal workshops on what natural herbs grow in your area, how to recognize them, where to find them, how to harvest and preserve them (for those that can be) and more importantly – their risks and uses!

9) Offer workshops on trap building.

Yes! Trap building, many self-proclaimed survivalists are always looking for ways to improve their own skills and if you have a knack for building successful game and fish traps – they will pay you to teach them how.

10) Offer workshops on organic gardening.

You need a garden for your fresh vegetables either way, and you’re good at it. Why not let someone pay you to teach them how to do exactly what you already do? An easy way to increase your net gain with this one is to mark off a plot of land where you already plan on placing a garden, then break your workshop down into segments reflecting the entire process from clearing to soil preparation to planting. Allow your students/ guests to work alongside you through the entire process over the course of a few days. Before you know it, your basic garden is now four times as large as it was, you’ve produced a higher surplus yield and now you’re averaging three days at the local open air markets or farmer’s markets and turning a nice profit behind the entire process.

11) Host weekend fishing excursions.

If you have access to a prime, yet secluded ‘honey hole’ that’s home to larger, game fish such as trout or bass it’s marketable and you’d be shocked how many anglers will pay a good price to camp out near your water and harvest a few. Throw in a ‘catch of the day style dinner and add in a few of treats from your garden and food stores such as a cobbler or pie made from fruits or berries you’ve gathered and preserved and you’ll make lasting connections that turn into repeat guests.

12) Offer group lectures and demonstrations to youth organizations and schools.

For you, homestead life is perfectly normal. For many youth organizations and schools, it presents a very real and very unique learning experience that can generate a good deal of repeat revenue. The more diverse, unique and interactive your presentation is, the higher the potential demand will be.

13) Lease your homestead areas out as a photo-op/ venue.

Your homesteading life can be a photographer’s dream! From nature settings to rustic appeal, to the simple fact that it’s something rarely witnessed – photographers are always scouting for potential venues and locations, regardless of the season, they need unique spaces to work and a way to attract new clients. That old barn a few hundred yards away at the edge of the clearing where you store your ATV/ UTV? It just became the backdrop for a surprise photo shoot and earned you an effortless $100. Your favorite fishing spot? Those first time parents who love hunting and fishing need somewhere absolutely perfect for their maternity photos and they’re more than happy to pay an extra $75 to spend a couple hours smiling and making memories. Your rustic kitchen with bundles of dried herbs and wood-fired cook stove? The local author wanted something special for their new press photos and you made an easy $200.

14) Offer workshops on game processing.

You’ve got two hundred pounds of extra fresh game meat from your last paid hunting expedition (Or your guests are bringing their own), that can equal two things: a few days extra work on you if you have to process it by yourself – or – a profit! With the right marketing, you can make a nice profit teaching guests how to process and preserve their own game. At the same time, if you’re using your own game, you have a chance to process considerably more than you would working alone in the same amount of time and, in turn, increase your food stores and surplus. That surplus, can then be used as a trade good, a gift for your guests (gifts allow you to charge a little more and also give guests a happy memory that they’ll talk about with their friends.) And, depending on your local laws and regulations, you may be able to sell.

15) Offer workshops on off grid/ traditional food preservation.

Yes, another routine chore for you that you can turn into revenue – food preservation. Living off the grid, you’ll rely on many older and often almost forgotten techniques for preserving food. By offering educational, hands-on workshops and teaching others these techniques for a reasonable fee, you can not only increase your overall production and generate a bit of possible surplus, but tuck away a nice profit in the process.

16) Host a primitive trade meet.

Borrow a page from the nomadic playbook or from the trappers of old. Reach out to your fellow off grid neighbors, and host a monthly, bi-monthly, annual or semi-annual event. Invite them to arrive and set up the night before, negotiate trades with them after they’ve set up in their respective areas in exchange for their participation; then the following day open your homestead to the general public. You can generate multiple revenue streams from this type of venture: Admission Fees, A group dinner made exclusively from foods available on your homestead or produced by fellow members of the off-grid community, direct sales of of your own surplus goods. And at an event like this, make sure to have plenty of information available about your workshops and other unique services or goods.

17) Maintain a small trading post/ gift shop.

You have a good surplus of goods being generated on your homestead, dedicate an area or build on if needed to display a portion of these items, and market them to guests. You’d be shocked how many people will seek you out if you have a particularly high quality or unique product such as fresh wild or raw honey, fresh eggs, or even a particularly uncommon type of produce. Even something as hearty as kale or swiss chard will sell nicely. Raise a less common crop such as rhubarb and you’ll discover there are people who’ll gladly travel a few miles out of their way to do business with you.

18) Write a book or an eBook (or a series!).

Combine your daily journals from the past year into a complete book, include a photograph timeline of your progress and the challenges you’ve faced and overcame. While some people may not have the inclination or ability to participate in your various workshops or other hands-on activities, there is a vast niche market of readers who’ll happily scoop up books of this type/ genre.

19) Start a YouTube (or similar) Channel.

Take your workshops and demonstrations to a whole new level by filming and then publishing them on YouTube or similar site. Similar to blogging, This particular platform allows you to showcase your unique skills, abilities and the services you offer to a far wider market. With YouTube, you generate revenue by accepting sponsors/ advertisers who then pay you based on views or site visits. Other platforms allow you to set up a paid monthly subscription rate and then take a percentage.

20) Sell your surplus firewood.

If you have ready access to a strong supply of quality hardwoods like oak, pecan, hickory, etc. once you’ve put in a sufficient store for your own use, They can be turned into a source of revenue, a rather labor intense source of revenue, but revenue all the same. Best of all, it’s a revenue source that actually increases in value if you have time and space to properly store it allowing it to season/ dry if it’s been harvested green/ wet. This is also a great way to deal with getting rid of bothersome windfall trees and larger limbs.

21) Remote/ Online consulting.

If you are particularly skilled in a subject, trade or field of study, there is the possibility of marketing your services as a consultant. While work may not come as often, this is another niche market that tends to prove increasingly profitable as your reputation grows.

22) Sell your artwork or photography.

If you happen to be one of those souls who find themselves blessed with an abundance of artistic talent, or a keen eye behind the camera, then marketing your artwork or prints of your photography locally or even through various online platforms can be extremely lucrative.

23) Sell your surplus herbs.

If you have a particularly abundant herb garden or naturally occurring (wild) crop of herbs, you can readily market them, both fresh and dried, locally and online. Adding small gifts or a hand written thank you card to customer orders will add a personal feel that many people quietly appreciate.

24) Skip the middle man and run your own website.

With today’s webhosting services, owning your own website is easier than ever, by adding a personal blog chronicling your life off the grid and videos of your various workshops or the techniques you use to process your food stores, herbs, the various services or off-grid experiences or even the stages of your artistic process will generate higher interest from potential customers. Adding a sales link with payment options will create a steady source of potential income. Add a booking or appointment setting link and you’ll be able to better market your workshops and fill vacancies.

25) Host day trips on your homestead for school and youth groups.

By inviting small groups from schools and area youth groups to spend a day observing and learning about life off the grid, you’ll increase your market exposure, and at the same time, allow them to gain a better understanding of the skills and resources that are needed to live a comfortable and rewarding life on an off grid homestead.

26) Offer extended workshops on foraging.

The land around you is full of great resources, not just wild herbs; there are many edible fruits, berries and nuts and plants; and surprisingly, not many people know how to actively seek them out. That’s where you come in – offering hands on learning experiences while actively teaching small groups how to seek out, recognize and utilize these various resources.

27) Host survival excursions.

Society is full of modern thrill seekers by incorporating the skills you’ve mastered living in an off grid homestead into a minimalist/ survival camping trip you’ll be able to tap into yet another niche market type of revenue and, at the same time, educate new people about the realities of being truly self sufficient.

28) Offer workshops on water collection, storage and purification.

Living off the grid requires you to collect, store and purify a water supply regularly. It can prove to be a profitable experience to offer workshops demonstrating the different methods you employ in these processes to eager learners.

29) Sell your surplus pelts.

If you engage in trapping, regardless of the game (for the most part) is marketable, especially the pelts. – Of course, you need to be familiar with your local laws and hunting regulations, but even if direct sales aren’t an option, networking with other trappers and even local taxidermists can prove extremely profitable.

30) Offer workshops on woodworking.

You have the skills, and living off the grid, you’ve likely adapted a few processes to fit within the constraints of your available assets and resources, why not share that knowledge, for a price, with the general public? It may seem routine to you, but with the multitude of modern machines and tools available today, you’d be shocked how many people there are who no long have the skills to start with a raw piece of wood and create a finished project; especially if you take away these modern tools.

There is no need to wait for years to complete the grueling home building process. There is no need to wait through delay after delay while the cost is on a slow but steady increase.

Understanding this will bring you to the wonderful world of prefab homes. Where you can have your needs and wants met without breaking the bank.

What Is A Prefab Home?

Prefab homes are also known as prefabricated homes.

Prefab homes are still essentially stick built homes built with high quality products where the main components have been assembled beforehand and then finished on site. The main difference is they are built in a more modern capacity with better efficiency than with a traditional stick built home which is completely built on-site .

Prefab homes are just as beautiful and as modern as homes that are built on-site.

They are first partially built in a factory type setting rather than being built completely at the final location. This can have some serious benefits for the owners. Prefabricated homes come in many different types.

There are options called prefab home kits which are made production style then shipped in pieces to be assembled on-site by you and a few others.

Why Is A Prefabricated Home Better Than Buying a Normal Home?

If you are considering buying a prefabricated home, it is important to weigh the good against the bad. In the case of prefab home vs on-site stick built homes there are not many disadvantages but great advantages instead.

Buying A Prefab Home Is Cost Effective.

It can be anywhere from a 10 to 20 percent price reduction to build a prefabricated home rather than to manufacture a stick built home on-site. Materials are bought in bulk while using precision so there is no chance of running out and having to pay an increase in price changes. There is no added labor costs from time delays.

Time Management.

It can be anywhere from 2 to 5 months longer to build a house on-site than a prefab home. This is extremely important for cost reasons too. The longer it takes to build is the longer you will be paying for the cost of labor .

Prefab Homes Produce Less Waste.

Since the home is built in pieces in a factory or warehouse, there is a substantial amount of less waste on materials and such. Everything is specially engineered to be produced with less waste on materials by precise measurements and cutting.

Prefab Homes Provide Serious Durability.

Prefab homes are made to be shipped which means they need extra materials in order to reinforce the frame of the home for it’s delivery. This makes them extremely more durable than a normal on-site built home. This means they will last for many years to come.

​

What Are The Price Ranges For Prefab Homes vs A Home Built On-Site?

Buying a custom built home can cost around 200,000 dollars depending on many factors. Most people go way above their initial budget. There are a lot of choices to make in customizing a home. These choices will cost you the longer the process goes.

An easier and more cost effective way to go would be a prefabricated home. This home can be exactly what you have always wanted. Your perfect dream home and it will cost you much less than expected.

The average cost per square foot for an on-site built home is around $150.00 to $250.00. That is also due to the extra customizations that can be used for your benefit. For a prefabricated home it will cost anywhere from $60.00- $80.00 per square foot. That is a huge savings when it’s added up.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Owning A Prefabricated Home?

Some people still don’t understand how modern home building has become. They still continue to look down on modular homes because they think they are not as great as a traditional stick built home. As you will see, not all of the disadvantages are really bad or enough to turn you away. There is nothing worth having that doesn’t come without a little effort.

Less Customizing.

An on-site built home will have hundreds of customized options to choose from. Most often it can become a grueling process and end up going extremely over budget. Often it’s easy to get out of hand and not realize how much money you have just added to the bill. Each customization costs money.

A prefab home has plenty of choices that will give you an amazing home without feeling overwhelmed by a long list of options to choose from. It will be limited in the option department but, still giving you the best home for your family.

Land Must Be Owned.

Do you own your own piece of land? Are you currently looking for land? When looking for land it’s important to remember that there are rules and restrictions for some properties. Sometimes it is prohibited to put a prefab home of any type on a certain property. There are some properties that will not allow manufactured homes to be placed on it. There are also costs for setting your home spot up with a power pole for utilities if it doesn’t already have one. There will be a need for a well to be dug or city hook ups and a service for sewage.

Do not be discouraged though. There are plenty of companies that sell prefab homes that will also help you to find some land. They will also assist with pulling the required permits as well as finding a contractor to pour foundation if they do not. They can assist in finding a plumber and electrician for your utility needs. All of this will be added in the price for your prefab home package.

Less Lending Options.

If you own a manufactured home it can be very difficult to find lenders to help you finance. It is not impossible though. There are lenders out there it just takes some work to find them. Shopping around for the best options for financing is a given if you want good rates. If you don’t want to go the financing route then just set a tight budget to make sure you can make all of your payments on time to keep on the schedule of the delivery.

The same hard lending options are not the case for modular homes. These homes can get financing from anywhere. If you do not know how to tell the difference from a modular home from a manufactured home, all you have to do is check under the crawlspace. If there are steel beams under the home for reinforcements it is considered a manufactured home. This will help you if you decide to purchase a used home or one already on a piece of land.

Upfront Costs. 

There is one serious disadvantage with purchasing a prefab homes is that the home must be paid in full by the time of completion or they will not deliver it to your home site. It can be hard sometimes to have the extra money for those added payments. It’s important to remember that you must have it paid before delivering unless you have financing options available to serve you. Check out all of your options before deciding.

Common Misconceptions Of Prefab Homes.

There is a common misconception that a prefab home doesn’t hold its value as a traditional built home does. This is completely false. The value of the prefab home can increase with time if the home is properly maintained and the neighborhood value doesn’t depreciate.

Another misconception is that a prefab home will deteriorate faster than a traditional stick built home. The truth is that a traditional on-site home is subjected to the harsh elements a lot longer than a prefabricated home will be since it is manufactured in a warehouse. The on-site home was built in the elements leaving it to deteriorate faster than a prefab home.

There is no extra maintaining needed for a modular home than a traditional stick built home. They are safely protected by the permanent foundation. They are actually stronger since they are tested at the factory and reinforced for the long travel. This is not the same for mobile homes also known as manufactured homes.

Once they are delivered then it’s safe to move in your home. It takes time to get the power hooked up properly and the water especially if there isn’t active city hook ups available. Not to mention if there is any deck or patio areas. They must be built on-site after the delivery and set-up. There could also be landscaping that is included in your prefabricated home package. This will have to be done once the home is delivered and set up.

You can prepare to wait about 6 to 8 weeks before getting the go ahead to move your family inside your new home. Sometimes this can seem like a disadvantage but it won’t be if it’s prepared for in advance. After all, how many great benefits are getting out of this prefabricated home?

Buying any home has its benefits and disadvantages whether it is a traditional stick built home or a prefab home. It is important to really think about what is best for you and your family. After weighing the pros and the cons, which home best suits your family’s needs? Will you be purchasing a prefab home or having a traditional on-site built home constructed?

Having a prefab home built is the modern way to build these days. It is environmentally safe and extra durable for a long lifespan.

What Is A Modular Home?

There is a common misconception that a modular home is the same thing as a mobile home or trailer. This is not in the least bit true in any way. A modular home is simply a home that is built off-site opposed to a stick or brick home that is built on-site. They are still built with the same quality materials that the standard stick built homes are constructed with. They are built in a factory for a better controlled construction setting instead of being built on-site. This is why it’s so much cheaper to buy a modular home than a new construction on-site stick built home. They are then placed on a flat bed truck to be delivered to its final location.

There are different options to choose from the outdoor appearance such as colors, doors, and other added features. There are plenty of choices for the inside features too. There are choices such as paint, wallpaper, window features, carpet, laminate, and hardwood flooring options to choose from in most prefab homes. There are even quality kitchen appliance options to choose from. There are garden tub, standard tub, or shower options to choose between.

There are also those fine details of the sink accessories in the bathroom. A modular home is put on a foundation to ensure extra safety precautions and ensuring a long lifespan of the home. While there are limitations on the customizations for the modular home, the important ones are there for you to select. You can still have the home of your dreams without the wasted time and money.

What Is A Panel Built Home?

A panel built home is exactly how it sounds. It is a normal stick built home with the same high quality materials. It’s manufactured in a warehouse type of facility that will pack it on some heavy duty flatbed trucks. It will then be delivered to your home site to be built by the use of a huge crane that lifts each panel into place for easy construction.  Many also considered this as a modular home.

What Is A Manufactured Home?

Manufactured homes are built in a factory assembly line type setting which benefits the buyer. They are made with high quality products on top of a steel frame and are much faster to build than a new construction on-site home. Being made in a factory means they have an abundance of materials to manufacture the pieces of the home for a fraction of the price. This is why it is faster to receive a newly constructed manufactured home then to build a new construction home on site. It’s also more cost-effective due to the time it takes for production and labor costs. A manufactured home is not put on a solid foundation. It is brought to the site on wheels with steel beams for reinforcement. It’s common for the home to sit on the wheels and the deliverer will just cover it with a skirting of some sort to give a crawlspace for repairing with ease.

These homes are faster to need repairing underneath them since they are not on the permanent foundation. It’s easier to get weathered and may need extra maintenance in order to preserve the life of your home. A home is an investment whether it is built on-site or in a factory type setting so a little preventative maintenance is expected to ensure safety and longevity of the house. Everything that lasts for many years takes some repairing at some point during those wonderful years. It is common for a manufactured home to last up to 55 years after being made. That’s a lot of memories to be made in your prefab home if you take care of it.

There are two building systems for your prefabricated home choice. Would you like to have a hand on building your own home? Do you want the pride of saying that you built your own home by hand? Would you like to just sit back and let someone else do the dirty work? Either way is just fine. The sky really is the limit when finding and choosing the prefab home of your dreams.

What Is A Mobile Home?

A mobile home is very much similar to a manufactured home but with a few key differences, mainly the quality.  The first and simplest key difference between the two is the year that it was built.  If it was built before July 15, 1976 and is the same style as a manufactured home (ie. It is built on a steel frame with wheels) then it is classified as a mobile home.  This classification is due to an industry standard that was put in place at that time to ensure the quality of the structures.  This classification put in by the powers that be really just made things more confusing but ultimately ensured that the living units were up to quality standards.

The second and main difference from a manufactured home is that a manufactured home meets the HUD Code standards where as a mobile home does not as those standards weren’t yet created.  These standards include rules pertaining to fire resistance, heating/air conditioning, plumbing, ability to be transported safely, construction design and overall strength of the unit.

Because of these new standards people started to put more trust in the quality of this type of housing.  People went from thinking that a mobile home type house was extremely low quality, cheap housing, to something that was a very affordable way to live in decent quality conditions.  Some still feel this way as they do not understand the difference between manufactured and mobile and just think of them as the same thing, a mobile home.   

What Is A Prefabricated Home Kit?

Prefab homes are essentially stick built homes built with high quality products where the main components have been assembled beforehand and then finished on site. The main difference is they are built in a more modern capacity with better efficiency than with a traditional stick built home which is completely built on-site .

Prefab home kits are made by production in a controlled construction setting. This means a warehouse type of facility. It’s not just a huge pile of lumber that is being delivered on-site to give you pure anxiety. There are very specific directions that are specially engineered for you to be able to understand completely. They use the latest and greatest production techniques to give the best quality products with less time spent waiting around. There are no costly delays for materials due to being engineered in a factory setting and being produced in bulk. There are no pesky weather delays or material theft to stress you out and cause more time delays and money.

The prefab home kits come with specially engineered directions with labeling for the easiest assembly possible, think of it like putting together IKEA furniture. You could be your own general contractor or hire a handyman to take charge of building your dream home. You could also just get a few friends to help out with the assembly of your specially designed prefab home.

How Long Does It Take To Put Together A Prefab Home?

Typically, a two man crew can assemble a whole prefab home in about 4-6 days with a little bit of effort and dedication.  All of the hardest work is completed in the warehouse so you don’t have to do it yourself. This is building like a professional while having little to no experience needed.

There are so many types of home kits. There are fairy type houses that look as if they jumped out of a fairytale. There are modern type houses. There are options for some great A frame houses that will have a cozy cottage type feel. They even have some old cottage style prefab house kits. There are tiny rustic cabins to the largest, most elegant looking cabins you have ever seen.  If you want an awesome house at a lower budget, then a prefab home kit is exactly what you are looking for.

What Are The Disadvantages Of On-site Stick Built Homes.

There are many factors to having a home built on site. The weather can be a pure disaster and cause a serious time delay depending on how harsh it can get. There are permits that must be pulled before building for multiple reasons and then there is a general contractor that must be hired to ensure that the latest standards and regulations are being used by the laborers. There are plenty of different building materials that have to be measured, calculated, and purchased prior to building. This can be costly if your contractor doesn’t shop around for the best deals on materials. There can always be a miscalculation with the measurements and having to order more products could cost more money for you if the prices have increased on materials.

There could be a shortage of a specific product in the store therefore causing a serious delaying of your home from being built on a timely schedule. One minor delay can cause a serious chain reaction that is catastrophic to a deadline. There is always the chance of material theft too. Sometimes the laborers used can be thieves or someone watching your home site could take your materials also causing delays in your construction.

Sometimes, buying a new construction home can take a lot longer to build than expected or planned for. This could put you out of pocket by paying more for rent on a month to month basis in a new place. This could end up with you having to sign a new lease agreement on a rental home for another year. You may just have to move in with some of your closest family and friends. That is never an easy thing to do without some sort of friction. It can seem like you have worn out your welcome before you have the option of leaving. Let’s just be honest, there can be some very incompatible personalities for a common living arrangement. You can be great friends that can’t seem to live under the same roof. It’s perfectly normal. This is why having your own private home is such a blessing.

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between each type of home is important and I hope that this article was able to help you with that.  When first looking into alternatives to traditional home building techniques all of the different terminology can be very confusing. 

There are some key differences between each type but they are all similar in the fact that they offer a much more affordable way for someone to live in a pretty luxurious environment without coughing up the huge amount of money that it costs to build a home the traditional way. 

I hope this gave you some insight and clarity on your journey to finding the perfect home.

Thanks for reading!

-SuccessOffGrid.com

It’s probably not just a single cause but one thing is for sure.

More and more people are first considering, and then tackling the challenging, but rewarding practice of living off the grid.

In order to live off the grid successfully, as well as prosper in what can be a very tough environment, there are basic self reliance skills that when mastered will allow you to accomplish so much more without the need for controlling institutions.

For many, the idea seems simple, maybe even ideal. But then again, most who first consider it, vicariously live through images, videos, and articles found online and few factor in the actual skills that life off grid will require. Even fewer take action to learn those skills before cutting off ties with the power grid.

Unfortunately, those who choose to pursue a life off grid without certain knowledge will find themselves at a significant disadvantage to the individual who did a little bit of extra effort to familiarize themselves with these critical homesteading skills.

A life off grid, is exactly what it sounds like – a life where every choice and every unique skill the individual possesses will be tested with either a positive or negative outcome.

Below are a few basic but highly necessary self reliance skills that every person choosing to live off grid should hone before taking the next step and ‘unplugging’ from the comforts of modern society.

Water Collection, Water Storage, & Water Purification

One of the very first skills that anyone living off the grid should thoroughly study and master is water collection and purification. Water is absolutely essential for survival and something that you’ll use a good amount of every day of your life.

Learn the best methods for water collection such as rain water collection with barrels or ideally piping directly to a freshwater spring.

Learn To Reuse Water As Much As You Can.

Utilize Gray Water. Gray water is the runoff water remaining in the final collection unit after general hygiene, the cleaning of dishes, clothes washing machines, or any other uses of water aside from flushing the toilet.

As long as you’ve used a very mild or biodegradable/ natural soap, this water can be used again to water food plots, herb gardens, or other yard plants. Generally Gray water is considered non-potable, ie it is not safe to drink. But just because you can’t drink it doesn’t mean it can’t be used for plenty of other useful things. At a minimum this non-potable water is great for filling up the toilet bowl to use for flushing.

Regrettably, living off grid, you’re more likely to find non-potable water sources much more often than you are to find fresh springs or open wells. Meaning that learning multiple ways of collecting, storing and purifying a steady supply of clean, fresh water for drinking and food preparation should always be a high priority task.

Solar Energy Collection, Storage and Use

One of the very first things to consider, for most people, when living off grid is going to be basic human comforts – most commonly, those things that we’ve grown accustomed to and, in turn, now take for granted.

Learning about solar energy, the collection, storage and use of that solar energy will prove to be an asset to anyone on or off grid. Solar energy offers many advantages compared to the use of generators, one of the first and largest being the general cost factor.

Second, you don’t want to be taking tons of trips to the local gas station because, in reality – that’s one of the sole reasons many people chose to live off grid in the first place – to escape their dependence on the modern world and enjoy a more peaceful, environmentally friendly and self sufficient lifestyle.

Utilizing solar panels and a basic collection and storage system (batteries) along with an inverter will allow you to maintain a fundamental sense of connection to the world at large, by providing a power source for modern devices like your computer, cell phone, and other everyday comfort devices.

Additionally, it also allows you to utilize certain other conveniences like maybe an electric cooler for short term food storage or low amperage LED lighting.

Mastering the basics of solar energy, collection and storage will not only provide you with a basic comfort, but provide you with a clean, relatively cost effective, renewable resource.

Food Production, Gardening, & Food Plots

You must consider one of the most basic of all human needs – food.

Life off the grid means less or no trips to the grocery store for fresh foods, and while modern canned goods and other sundry may seem like the way to go, they take up a lot of space and will likely generate considerable additional waste that, in turn, leads to the additional need for more expended efforts, more trips to the dump.

One of the simplest ways to avoid this inconvenience will be to learn at least the basics of seasonal gardening. Ideally as one food plot or garden is reaching the end of its production, you’ll be able to cycle into a secondary crop of some type.

It’s best to learn what types of fruits and vegetables you will be able to grow in your area and what seasons will allow for the best or highest yields.

Mastering general and seasonal gardening and food plot management might sound daunting, but it will allow you to not only sustain a fundamental survival need, but if utilized appropriately can produce a general surplus. A surplus of food is a great way to provide a small income by selling at local open air or farmers markets.

Food Storage

At this point, you will need a way to make sure that your food supply lasts you through the season and beyond. That’s where food preservation and storage will come into play.

While most of the food you would buy in a store comes processed, prepackaged, and ready for storage, those items you’ve raised on your own in your garden or food plot won’t. Therefore, you’ll need to learn about methods such as drying, dehydration, and canning your own food.

Mastering various food preservation techniques will not only allow you to extend your overall food supply, but also enjoy many foods throughout the year that you would otherwise be forced to use and enjoy only during their respective growing or harvest seasons.

Once again you should also consider the fact that surplus preserved foods can also be converted into a nice revenue stream or easily traded for other goods and services that you may not yet be ready to provide for yourself.

Composting – What is Composting?

If you’ve ever grown a home garden or known anyone who was serious about theirs, then you’ve likely seen or heard, at some point, about composting.

Composting is the mixing of various organic waste products such as food scraps, mulched leaves, grass, etc in a drum or similar container or even in a large pile near your garden area (depending on the season). After decomposition this dirt mixture would be added to the soil from time to time to improve the quality of the ground.

Compost is great for replacing various nutrients which the crops ultimately deplete as time goes on.

Understanding how this process works and knowing when and how to employ it when preparing and maintaining your own food plots and garden spaces will reduce the frequency you will need to rotate your growing areas. Additionally, it is great to potentially increase the yield of your garden as the soil quality improves. One of the best parts of composting is it will allow you to make use of the organic waste you generate in the growing, harvesting, processing, and preserving of your crops.

Basic Survival Skills

Oftentimes Overlooked are the most basic of survival skills such as shelter making and fire building. There are some who’d argue that because their plan for living off the grid includes some sort of prefabricated shelter, modern devices such as propane stoves, and other luxuries, that they don’t see the need to learn such things.

Unfortunately, there is a certain reality that many still refuse to accept – the fact that unforeseen circumstances will, at some point arise. Machines and modern devices, no matter how well maintained, will at some point in their life fail; one should also factor in that there will be times when these convenience items may not be readily available.

Then, of course there are the more dire instances where an emergency may occur. Beyond making life in general a bit more comfortable, mastering basic survival skills could easily mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.

Basic and Advanced First-Aid

While it goes unsaid that most people understand the basics of general first-aid, life off the grid is likely to present you with new challenges at every turn; that’s why it becomes important to learn as much as you can about about both basic and even advanced first-aid practices.

Life off the grid equates back to self-sufficiency and as such, you’re going to have more general risks for injuries, burns, blisters, abrasions and cuts are simply a part of performing routine physical labor and daily chores.

Knowing how to properly treat these common injuries along with those more severe in nature such as minor fractures or even debris in your eye can alleviate certain risks such as infection and even prevent depleting your financial resources. Even if you never live off the grid, knowing basic first aid is one of the most important self reliance skills that anyone can learn. You never know when the situation will arise where you could save someones life.

Plant Identification & Uses

Going hand in hand with your basic survival skills, first-aid and food preservation/storage, it will prove undoubtedly beneficial to study and master not only flora and plant identification, but also the uses of various wild plants as medicine.

While it’s true that there are some that are toxic, there are just as many with amazing potential use cases and offer amazing medicinal benefits. From slowing or stopping the spread of infection, easing the pain of fever or headaches to relieving insomnia, mother nature is the original apothecary.

Many can be utilized by adding flavor to certain foods or even replacing processed, commercially produced herbs and spices.

Regrettably, these wonders which are usually hiding in plain site to a skilled and knowledgeable eye, rarely stand out to the untrained eye nor do they come with a ready printed label explaining their purpose and dosages. Meaning that using certain plants or herbs, like yellowroot – a strong natural antibiotic, in the improper manner may have an undesired, negative affect.

Foraging and Trapping/ Hunting/ Fishing

You’ve mastered the basics of harnessing and storing solar power, traditional and seasonal gardening, food preservation and storage, first-aid and know more about the local flora than the local garden club; you’re all set and ready to unplug and take your place in the growing world of life off grid, right?

Wrong! Now, comes a skill that will likely be less appealing to some than it is to others – foraging, tapping, hunting and fishing.

While there are conflicting views on the latter three, foraging will be one of the most invaluable skills you will ever learn. Knowing what a plant looks like and how to use it is fantastic, but useless if you don’t know how to find it. Add to that, the fact that mastering foraging skills will aid you by improving certain observational skills which will drastically benefit your tracking skills.

With the thought of trapping, hunting or fishing, there is no doubt that there are some readers who may find themselves either hesitant or even feeling a bit squeamish, you must consider the possible rewards that come part and parcel with the practices.

First, the most obvious – a high protein source, meaning meat. However, the resources don’t stop there. There’s the scraps or meat trimmings which can be later used to bait additional traps, the hides which can be processed with relative ease into rawhide and finished pelts and leather – these processed hides can then be utilized in many different ways, blankets, clothing, footwear/ wraps, wall hangings which will add insulation to you shelter or lodging, trade goods, and even revenue depending on your local laws and hunting regulations.

From there, you also have tallow (fat) which can be processed into a wide variety of products, including candles.

Bones, antlers from deer and other related animals can be crafted into buttons, needles, knife handles and assorted primitive, yet highly useful tools.

Sinew (dried tendons and longer bits of ligament) can be used in place of cotton or other plant fibers to make highly durable threads, twine and even thin ropes with a bit of patience and effort.

Fishing is another terrific and highly useful skill to master that will provide you with a fairly low effort/ reward source of protein that can easily be preserved for longer periods with few tools and basic ingredients such as salt or vinegar/ brine or even by smoking or drying.

Use Of Basic Hand Tools

From crafting assorted convenience items, to building everything from shelters, storage areas/ shelving and simply routine maintenance around your homestead, knowing how to properly use basic hand tools will prove invaluable during day to day life off the grid.

While you may feel compelled to argue that a simple hand tool is just that – simple – you should consider that improper use of any tool not only risks damaging the tool but potentially injuring you, those around you or even costing you valuable time and energy that could be more wisely used elsewhere.

Many tools are very common in their application, but take for instance the handsaw; do you know he difference between a cross-cut, ripping or combination saw?

Do you know the uses of a ball peen hammer as compared to a framing hammer?

Maybe you know the difference between a felling ax and a hewing ax?

If you couldn’t readily answer those brief questions, you now have the proof that you should, at least, consider studying and mastering the use of these basic hand tools.

Crafting Basic Tools

Now that you’ve invested some time in learning about the various hand tools you’ll need to make use of from the very beginning of your life off the grid. It would be wise to study how they are made and what materials you could use to craft your own makeshift tools in the event that those you already have become damaged or you find yourself in need of a particular tool that you do not currently own.

You would be wise to accept that form and function are far more important than aesthetic appeal especially when you first mastering this skill, as your skills improve, so shall the end results of your labors.

General Carpentry, Plumbing & Electrical Wiring

The good new is, you’re steadily gaining ground towards your goal of living off the grid; the bad news is you still have a great deal to learn.

Knowing how to use and make tools will serve you well, however, that will only prove to a true statement if you have taken the time to study and master the fundamentals of carpentry.

Carpentry is a skill which you will use to craft shelters, storage areas and shelves/ bins. Not to mention having the ability to repair existing structures and items as time, use and nature take their tolls.

Alongside carpentry, you’ll also want to learn as much as you can about general plumbing as this skill will allow you to not only potentially build a viable solution for water collection, storage and purification, but also possible irrigation systems and if you are skilled enough a gravity fed water system within your off-grid home complete with a solar, propane or wood-fired hot water source.

Whether you use solar, a generator or some other source of electricity, it’s also a good idea to have at least a basic mastery of how electrical systems function. You will need to learn what tools are required and how to preform general maintenance. Do some research on basic repairs in order to keep your homestead and whatever other areas you have feeding off of your electrical sources in proper running order.

Small Engine Mechanics

If you’re planning on using any type of machines – generators, an ATV, a tiller for your food plots or anything similar. You will want to know how to keep them running properly and, if needed, diagnose and repair them when they aren’t.

Not everyone will consider this skill to be as valuable as others, but knowing how to repair your own machine for nothing more than the time it takes combined with the cost of the needed parts is incredibly important skill to have when no one else is around to help you. It’s either that or paying someone to drive all the way out to where you live. Someone who has the skills you lack for not only their time and labor, but also the customary mark-up over retail for the components they repair or replace will quickly add up.

Mastering the skill for yourself, will not only allow you to remain self-reliant, but also like many of these skills can be used from time to time to generate additional revenue or for barter.

Alternative Power Generation

While solar energy is one of the most common and, in some respects, best ways to get power while living off the grid, some areas are less viable than others; and practical logic dictates that you should always develop either a contingency or supplemental means to generate electricity.

Though they may seem a bit more complex, and thus potentially intimidating to a beginner, it is a good idea to explore mastering the building, use, and maintenance of a hydroelectric generator or portable wind turbine generator (windmill).

Though they are often less convenient for those individuals living off the grid who want to remain nomadic, they are highly recommended for off-grid homesteading.

With a little bit of ingenuity, basic tools and employing the earlier mentioned mechanical skills, these systems can be built at a relatively moderate out of pocket cost.

When debating whether or not you would feel that this is useful skill to have, consider this fact – solar arrays require high to moderate exposure for optimal production, a long storm or overcast day risks impeding your electrical production and will place a higher drain on your power-banks. Hydroelectric, on the other hand, simply needs a steadily flowing source of water such as a small stream; and a wind turbine only needs a steady breeze of between six and nine miles per hour.

And, where a solar array will have to be adjusted manually to achieve peak generation normally multiple times per day; a hydroelectric generator will more often only need to be raised or lowered to accommodate the water levels periodically and a wind turbine is usually either equipped with a tail fin which corrects its positioning as the wind directions change or with basic manual controls which make the corrections simplistic.

Land Navigation & Map Reading

Another highly beneficial survival skill that many bypass with today’s modern technology is general land navigation and map reading. It may sound rather archaic to suggest such a thing, but, when venturing into new territories while foraging, hunting, trapping, etc, there may come a point where your modern devices fail.

By studying land navigation and map reading, you will find yourself readily equipped to overcome this challenge should you ever be faced with it. Knowing how to determine your location on a printed map, and combining that information with your general land navigation skills will not only boost your confidence and simplify many routine tasks as you progress on your journey towards living off the grid, it may prove to be a life saving skill at some point for you or someone else.

Conclusion

This is only a short list of essential homesteading skills. Essential self reliance skills that everyone should at least be familiar with before attempting to live the off grid life. But mastering these essential skills prior to living off the grid will provide you with a solid foundation for success. While utilizing them will allow you to adapt, overcome and thrive in a comfortable, self-sufficient manner with relative ease in almost any situation or environment.

I hope that this page gave you some helpful insights into some areas that you may need to work on before making the leap to live independently from the grid.

Good luck on your journey to live a self sustained off grid life!

-SuccessOffGrid.com

A very real fact to consider when preparing to start an off-grid homestead is what tools are you going to need not only during everyday life, but even on a less frequent basis.

The following is a breakdown of some of the best tools to have for living in an off grid homestead that should help you assess your own readiness and prepare for this new chapter in your life.

Personal Use Tools: Go-Bag / Bug Out Bag / Day Pack

Living in an off-grid homestead means that you are going to be striving for more and more self reliance and independence from the luxuries of modern life and that independence will require a certain level of personal readiness. Think back to the adventurous cattlemen and outdoorsmen of past generations – they often had what was referred to as a ‘possibles bag’, a collection of certain small, personal items and tools that they kept close at hand for quick use. Modern survivalists refer to these as a ‘go-bag’ or a ‘bug out bag’, we’ll call it a ‘day pack’.

Below are some tools to consider for individual carry or in a convenient manner such as a light weight back pack:

A Full-tang Fixed Blade Knife

It may seem unusual, at first, but a good knife has a million uses during the day – especially in an off-grid setting. from use shaping wood for assorted applications to digging up roots or clearing away small vines or debris while foraging to field dressing game while hunting, fishing or walking your trap line. Think practicality when choosing your blade, you’re not out there to impress people and this isn’t a costume party, leave the Roman gladius behind and opt for a well made, carbon or high grade surgical steel blade length of between four and eight inches.

A Well Made Folding (Pocket) Knife

Yes, you already have your fixed blade knife, but it’s more of a specialized tool for larger projects. Your pocket knife will see a lot more use and abuse than you may think, but it’ll quickly become one of your favorite tools. You’ll use it for many tasks from trimming away that pesky thread that’s been hanging from the edge of your shirt collar all morning to far more meaningful tasks like trimming the line on your fishing pole after you’ve just attached a new hook or lure or maybe you’re working on putting your trapping skills to the test and your luck has improved, and you snared a nice bit of small game – yes, you can use your fixed blade knife for the task of cleaning the meat, but the smaller, more maneuverable design of a folding knife will make the task move along much more quickly and generate less waste.

A Sturdily Built Multi-Tool

A multi-tool, those fantastic folding gadgets what open out into a set of pliers with various blades and small tools built into the handle will prove to be invaluable living off the grid. think of them like a personal-sized emergency tool kit. While this too may seem redundant when you already keep two cutting tools close at hand, keep in mind that it could take the place of your folding knife, but not so much the other way around. The more you engage in daily maintenance around your homestead and the more you find yourself working with various pieces of your survival equipment, the more you’ll learn to appreciate the diverse capabilities of this particular tool.

A Small Survival Hatchet

The smaller survival hatchet may not seem like an every day carry tool and, you may be correct, but this small tool – the majority have a roughly four to six inch cutting blade – is a light weight, highly useful tool when foraging and hunting. It takes up minimal space on your belt or in your backpack, and can be used to gather fuel for smaller fires, as a cleaver when processing game and many are manufactured with various openings cut to fit common nuts and bolts, allowing you to use the survival hatchet as a wrench when needed.

A Personal First-Aid Kit

While the need for a general first-aid kit around the homestead should seem obvious enough to even someone just beginning to prepare for a life off the grid, many fail to consider the benefits of a personal first-aid kit. A personal first-aid kit doesn’t need to be as extensive as your primary kit; but, it should contain the basics such as sterile bandages, alcohol prep pads, a small tube of antibiotic cream and a mild pain reliever such as naproxen or something similar. You should consider the fact that working with your hands and living off-grid, you will likely experience commonplace abrasions, small cuts, etc.

A Small Flashlight

Another tool to consider adding to your personal kit or day pack is a small flashlight. It may not see daily use, but from performing routine maintenance to lighting the way home after dark to even signaling help in an emergency, a small bright LED (higher visibility, lower energy consumption) flashlight will prove to be an invaluable tool.

Day To Day Use Tools For Living Off The Grid

With the personal essentials covered, let’s discuss those tools that are best for day to day use in, on and around your off grid homestead. these are the tools that you will need for routine work but are too large or heavy to simply carry about with you wherever you might venture and thus will more likely be stored somewhere when not absolutely needed or being put to use.

Valuable tools for everyday or common use around your off-grid homestead:

A Weather Radio

Staying informed may or may not feel important to you as you begin your life in an off grid homesteads, but knowing what weather emergencies are coming your way will give you an advantage that could mean more than you think. Picking up one that either relies on more than one primary power source or one that relies on an internal, hand-powered magneto for charging is usually your best course of action as batteries tend to either lose their charge too quickly or corrode when left in the devices too long which could damage the circuit and possibly ruin your radio.

A Draw Knife

A draw knife is a bit of a specialized tool, comprised of a sturdy, sharp blade with a handle attached to each end, which does take a little more practice and some to master, but it is well worth not only the initial costs associated with finding one that is well made and holds an edge. The draw knife tends to be a fairly versatile tool that can be used both in woodworking, specialized crafts such as basket making and preparing pelts to be processed into rawhide and leather.

A Sharpening Kit

From knives to hatchets to axes and saws, living on an off grid homestead you’ll use more cutting tools than you’d think and they’ll require upkeep. A sharpening kit consisting of an assortment of files, whetstones, and other similar tools will become a mainstay in your daily life. Those more experienced in maintaining a blade’s edge will more often than not suggest that you also incorporate various types of fine-grit sandpaper or a honing strap along with your more aggressive sharpening tools to help remove the burs from the knives you use to process meats in order to give you the keenest edge possible; while they’ll recommend a six, eight or twelve inch bastard file for axes and hatchets and other similar cutting tools.

An Axe

You should consider having at least one, if not more axes. An ax tends to be a highly useful tool when gathering and storing firewood, clearing ground for shelters, storage structures, or food plots and gardens. You’ll also discover that when processing larger game or livestock that a sharp ax will come in handy in more ways than one.

A Framing Hammer

Building things often requires diving nails, every good homesteader already knows that one of the first tools they’ll use regularly will be a framing hammer, these come in different weights with various handle lengths and it never hurts to own a couple of them to ensure that you have every advantage when selecting the right tool for the right project. After all, you wouldn’t necessarily use a twenty-two ounce framing hammer to hang a feed bucket when a sixteen ounce claw hammer would do the job more comfortably.

A Sledgehammer

Much like the ax, you should consider investing in more than one sledgehammer, they may be heavy and you may not use them often, but when you need to repositioning a heavy beam, or break up a large stone they’ll be your go-to tool. Then, too, by employing a secondary too known as a splitting wedge, the sledgehammer can be used to split stubborn or knotted firewood with relative ease.

A Standard Socket Set and Ratchet Wrench

The ratchet wrench comes in three most common sizes, 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″; in most cases you’ll need a 3/8″ drive ratchet and socket set mainly for routine mechanical maintenance of things like your generator and other small engines (It’s advisable that you consider purchasing all three as you will find uses for all of them from time to time). It’s advisable that you purchase a set of sockets which includes both standard (US) and metric sizes as you will more likely than not encounter both when working on various machines.

A Set Of Combination Wrenches

Your sockets and ratchet wrench will handle a lot of your needs, but it’s a guaranteed fact that you’ll encounter bots and nuts that you simply need more leverage or a slimmer profiled tool in order to reach from time to time, a good set of combination wrenches – open and box-ended -will easily solve this challenge and help make maintenance project move along more smoothly.

A Cordless Tool Set

Working under the assumption that you will be using self-generated electric of some sort to be able to maintain a charging station, a cordless tool set consisting of a power drill, a reciprocating saw and other such items with batteries rated not less than 18 volts will allow you to work more quickly on certain projects and even simplify others.

A Chainsaw

Another highly useful tool to have when living in an off-grid homestead is a chainsaw. whether you’re stockpiling firewood for cooking and heating, clearing ground for garden space and food plots or to add another shelter or structure a chainsaw will save you considerable effort and allow you to work more efficiently.

A Mattock

Preparing a garden plot in rocky soil or in areas rich in clay deposits can seem daunting using more widely known tools such as a shovel. rake and hoe. However, a mattock – a tool which is similar to a pickaxe with a broad, flat blade – will ease the process and make removing obstructions such as lumps of hardened clay, larger rocks and stubborn roots, allowing you to clear larger areas and increase your food production. A mattock can also be used to clear drainage and irrigation furrows quickly and with far less effort than a shovel.

A Shovel

A fairly obvious, but invaluable tool to have is a common shovel, though it’s best to have both a round tipped and a flat or square tipped shovel. These tools do take up a bit of space compared to others, but, given the number of varied and vital uses, they are well worth the time and effort to have. Many will suggest that you find these tools equipped with a handle made from fiberglass or other similar composite material; more experienced outdoorsmen or homesteaders enjoying a life off the grid will quickly point out that wooden or metal handles will serve you much longer and in the event of damage are all too often more easily replaced. A round tipped shovel, with a good sharp edge will make common tasks such as preparing soil for planting a garden or food plot much easier than just using a mattock, not to mention simplify certain construction projects where earth must be moved to prepare or facilitate building various structures from lodging to storage areas, a latrine (you may not like thinking about it, but it’s going to be a part of life off the grid), composting area or even a recessed area to build a smokehouse to preserve fish, game and other meats. A square tipped shovels makes life a lot easier when shaping an opening if you’re preparing to build any structure that requires a recess in the ground, plus makes leveling prepared areas or removing sundry obstructions like gravel.

A Sharp Garden Hoe

If you’ve ever had a home garden before you are already familiar with the frustrations associated with the daily battle you must wage with weeds, or other intrusive plants that tend to spring up voluntarily in your prepared soil. It’s just a fact of life, they’re going to sprout, and they’re going to take nutrients away from your garden if they aren’t kept in check. A good sharp garden hoe will prove to be one of your most relied upon tools.

A Garden Rake

Sometimes a forgotten item in your gardening tools is a heavy-tined rake, it may not see as much use as other tools, it can be used to maintain various areas from your garden beds to an outdoor fire pit and makes removing small debris such as roods, organic waste from your garden areas and gravel much easier than simply gathering them by hand. This tool will also prove to be an asset if you raise livestock of any type and thus have pens or feed lots to maintain.

A Pry Bar

Sometimes called a crowbar, or wrecking bar, a sturdy pry bar should always have a home among your larger tools – it may not seem as much of a priority to some people, however, when making changes to an existing structure or repurposing materials, very often, using a pry bar will allow you to separate two or more pieces of lumber that have been nailed together without causing as much damage as it would to simply beat them apart with a hammer.

A Wheel Barrow or Garden/ Utility Cart

While you can handle many smaller chores fairly quickly, there are many daily chores on a homestead, which can be made much more simple by using a basic wheel barrow or garden/ utility cart. From transferring the remnants of processing and preserving your crops, to moving smaller loads of firewood or other materials from place to the next. If you’ve decided to raise any sort of livestock, you’ll find that a wheelbarrow tends to make certain aspects of pen maintenance and cleaning far more bearable and will reduce the amount of time you’ll invest significantly.

Other Essential Off Grid Tools: Less Used, Not Less Useful.

Now that you have put extra thought into your personal and more commonly used tools, let’s discuss your larger tools or assets that will prove to be essential living in an off grid homestead. No, they’ll likely not see as much routine use as your basic essential tools or your personal tools. However, that doesn’t make these larger items any less meaningful or valuable. In fact, they’ll likely prove to be some of the most invaluable assets that you will ever have on a homestead, off rid or on!

Larger Essential Tools and Equipment:

An ATV or UTV

Not everyone is ready to tackle the burden of raising larger livestock, especially beasts of burden such as a mule or horse. For those less inclined, or even those who simply prefer not to add the additional work associated with the care and upkeep of larger work animals, an ATV or UTV is the next logical choice. Whether it’s transporting a load of freshly felled firewood to the woodpile to be split into more manageable pieces for cooking and heating, to hauling debris or even pulling a particularly stubborn stump free of the ground where you hope to start a new project after you’ve loosened the ground around it and cut away the feeder roots. The uses of an ATV or UTV are virtually limitless on an off-grid homestead; and while they do require a bit of routine maintenance and may fall victim to mechanical failure from time to time, they don’t require regular veterinary care, special feeds or additional medications to be kept on hand. Best of all, unlike an animal, they’re not going to spook at a strange sound or randomly decide that they would prefer you weren’t sitting on their back and offer you a free, impromptu flying lesson. Humor aside, there are many reasonably priced attachments and implements that can be used with an ATV or UTV such as trailers, harrows, plows, wenches, grading and drag blades that will simplify larger projects and improve your overall quality of life.

A Garden Tiller

These great little machines are one of the most fantastic inventions to have ever been introduced to the art of modern gardening. whether it’s a single or double tined unit, forward drive or rear, the common garden tiller is a tool that will allow you to prepare and maintain larger gardens and food plots with much less effort and wasted energy. Yes, just like your ATV/ UTV they will require fuel and maintenance, and they’ll be vulnerable to mechanical failures as use and time take their respective tolls, but consider this – would you rather have a dozen plants in your garden and find your supplies running short, or three dozen food producing plants providing not only sustenance but surplus? Then, think of your composting pile, would you rather spend an entire afternoon working that nutrient rich matter back into your garden, or would you prefer to invest a couple hours into spreading it and then running your tiller through it, mixing the soil far more efficiently than you could with a hoe, shovel or rake?

A Portable Generator

Regardless of your primary source of electrical energy, it’s a good idea to have at least one small, portable generator on hand for emergency situations or in the event that your primary system fails for whatever reason. Beyond that, a smaller portable generator can be used to power additional electric heaters, and other related items during harsher weather as needed.

Conclusion

This is by no means a complete list of off grid tools that you will need to have a successful off grid living experience but it is definitely a start to get you to a place where you are confident enough to take on even the most difficult of challenges.

I hope that there was at least a few useful tools in this article that you hadn’t yet thought of.

As always good luck on your journey to finding success while living off the grid!

-SuccessOffGrid.com

What Is Composting?

Composting is a process to create fertilizers that relies solely on the decomposing process. Compost can be made with any organic waste such as plant leaves, kitchen scraps (such as banana peels, apple cores, etc), and lawn trimmings. Although it has been growing in popularity in the modern years composting is actually a very old practice that dates back to as early as at least the early Roman Empire. During this time it was typical for farmers to collect plant scraps and spoiled crops and store them somewhere. As these items decomposed they would eventually be broken down into compost that they would add to their crops in the next season. This provided them with an efficient method of gathering fertilizer as there were few other alternatives for it during this time period.

This also helped prevent soil erosion. Soil erosion is what takes place when the top layer of soil has eventually run out of use able nutrients. The result of this is that no plants are able to grow there and the soil is unusable. A place where this often happens is where there have been farms for many many years. It is this soil erosion that makes it impossible for farmers to have enough crops to sustain their families.

Why is Composting Better for the Environment?

When it comes to the nutrients provided in name brand store bought fertilizers there are actually less than there are when you compost as these brands typically provide four nutrients at most. In addition to these nutrients, however, there are also many chemicals present in fertilizers that are harmful to the environment.

When these types of fertilizers are used outdoors, primarily in plants that are not potted, the chemicals are moved as run off. Runoff is the result of rainwater picking up harmful chemicals, such as oils, and moving them. The majority of the time this runoff finds its way to streams, rivers, and oceans where it pollutes them. This is dangerous for plants and other life forms living in the ecosystem.

An ecosystem is any environment and all of the organisms living in it. These ecosystems have delicate chemical balances that the disruption of could result in the elimination of one of that ecosystem’s species of life. For example, oil from cars can move as runoff into rivers when it rains, resulting in the death of certain species of algae. It doesn’t stop there though and instead can cause a chain reaction.

Not only does the algae die off but any organisms that were feeding off of it will have a food shortage. This will continue farther and farther down the ecosystem’s food chain until eventually the population has depleted so much so that it is almost impossible for anything to live there.

On top of it killing of certain species of algae the runoff fertilizers can also do the opposite as well for water that does not flow, which believe it or not, can actually be even worse for the environment. As the fertilizers nurture the algae they begin to grow and reproduce at an unusually fast rate, resulting in a thick layer covering the surface of the water. This layer prevents the water from receiving necessary oxygen, eventually suffocating all life that resides under the surface. These facts are why many people have taken to composting which allows them to not only choose what goes into their plant’s fertilizer but also control where all the nutrients end up.

Choosing a Container

The first thing that you want to do when beginning a composting heap is to find a container that suits your specific needs. Many people choose to store their compost underneath their kitchen sink as that is where it is most likely to not be in their way or accidentally get thrown out so it is important that you choose a container that both prevents mildew growth and odors.

A Stainless steel compost bucket. Sold online there are many different types of compost buckets but the one that is most commonly used is large and made of stainless steel, similar to a cooking pot. This stainless steel prevents the growth of mildew that could contaminate the soil. The lid that comes with the bucket also has holes drilled into it to further help prevent mildew growth as it cuts back on the humidity of the pot’s contents.

Another option in terms of compost storage works well if you are choosing to store your compost somewhere outside of your home, such as a storage shed, rather than under your kitchen sink. Instead of choosing to purchase a specially designed compost bucket you could use the cheaper alternative of a plastic gallon ice cream pail. This can be efficient as it still offers plenty of space for storage while also having a handle, making it easy to carry your compost around from flower bed to flower bed in your garden.

If you don’t want to put quite as much time into waiting for your compost there is another alternative. Although they are quite pricey there is a machine that can convert your recycled goods into use able compost overnight. This can be beneficial if you have a large garden that uses up a lot of fertilizers but otherwise could be a waste of money if you only need a little compost to sustain your plants. On top of the high price they also take up a large amount of space. This means that unlike with the previous containers you will need to have an outdoor space designated specifically to your compost.

A final option works well if you only need to produce a small amount of compost, such as for indoor potted plants. Instead of either of the previously mentioned storage units you could instead use a small plastic kitchen container. This way you would have plenty to suit your needs but also would not have a large container taking up all of your space.

What Can be Used to Make Compost?

Now that you have a container picked out for your compost heap it’s now time to begin adding to it. It’s important that you are very particular about what you add to it and how much because each item benefits the soil in specific ways. Grass clippings, for example, provide a rich amount of Nitrogen to the compost while wood chips provide a lot of Carbon. You want to finally have a fairly balanced Carbon to Nitrogen ratio but if you are not positive how much you have of each one you should always add more Carbon rich items to be sure.

Something that you want to keep in mind is the things that absolutely can not go into your compost pile. One type of item that you will want to leave out is meat scraps. Both from red and white meat, adding scraps of meat to your compost can attract a large number of pests that you do not want to transfer into your plant’s soil when the time comes to use up your compost.

You also want to be careful what types of plants you add to your compost as well. Adding any diseased plant clippings can transfer the disease from the compost and into that new soil that your plant is going to absorb nutrients from, thus transferring the disease to your new plant as well. This will cause your plant to become sick very quickly and can ultimately result in it dying with little you can do to help it.

You also should avoid throwing in banana peels, peach peels, and orange rinds. This is because these are often covered in pesticides that you want to keep your plant from absorbing as it could end up poisoning it. Many people make the mistake of trying to rinse off these items and then adding them to their compost anyway, but this can be bad as often these things are not only covered in pesticides but have absorbed them as well. As these decompose they will release the pesticides into the soil which will then go on to affect your plants by killing them instead of the bugs that you want to prevent.

As for using pet feces, or other manure for that matter, as an additive to your compost there is something that you need to keep in mind. Whether or not you add this is dependent on the types of plant you are hoping to grow. If you are simply growing plants for aesthetic purposes, such as vines or flowers, then there is no reason to avoid adding manure to your fertilizer. However, if you are growing crops that you intend to eat then you should avoid adding it. This is because feces often contains contaminants that when absorbed into your plant could make you or others sick at the time of consumption. Although this is not something that happens every time it is better not to take the chance, especially if you plan on giving the food to young children, the elderly, or anyone else that may be easily affected by food borne illnesses.

One thing that often is not taken into consideration is the use of shredded paper. Despite not being able to recycle paper that has been shredded you could still add it into compost as it provides an excellent source of Carbon. You should keep in mind though not to also add paper that has any colored ink or gloss on it, as the chemicals could be harmful for your plants. Sawdust can also be added for the same reason but should be done in small amounts or spread out thinly throughout the compost to prevent it from clumping. Clumping could cause issues with water later on as the decomposing materials will become stuck to the sawdust, resulting in them taking longer to be fully broken down.

Filling Your Container

It is not only important what you fill your container with but how you do it as well. There are very specific ways that you can layer the items added to your compost in order to produce the best compost in the shortest amount of time. This way you can get your compost finished as soon as possible, which is especially helpful if you needed it quickly before the ideal season for the plants you wish to grow arrives

The first thing that you want to do is line your compost container with a layer of soil. This will allow your compost to be consistent aerated as it decomposes, especially if you choose to add worms to the soil as well. If you do choose to add worms to the soil you should specifically add red worms, also known as wiggler worms, panfish worms, and tiger worms. Given their bright attractive red color that makes them ideal as bait these worms can be purchased at most bait shops if they are not native in your area.

The next layer that you will want to add to your is some twigs or straw, each which benefit the compost in a similar way. As for the twigs they allow the water to properly drain through them and into the soil at the bottom of the bucket, prevent the compost from absorbing too much water. With the straw it does the same but is more efficiently for those who choose to grind up their larger portions of the compost before adding it to the bucket. This more fine filtration prevents too much of the compost from rinsing through and into the soil during watering.

Now it is time to add the components of your compost heap. In order to avoid an unhealthy amount of mold growing within your compost heap, while also still having moisture present, it is important that you layer it in the proper way. This means that in order to have it well balanced you need to alternate between adding dry ingredients and adding moist ones. Moist ingredients would be things such as food scraps, tea bags, and seaweed while dry ingredients would be things such as leaves, twigs, and wood ashes. Then you can add manure if you choose to use any, or any other Nitrogen rich source.

In order to keep the compost moist you need to consistently water it while also being careful to avoid adding too much, so as not to accidentally drown out your compost. A way to keep in mind how much water you are supposed to add is that the compost should only be moist and never soaking wet. Something important is that you keep the humidity present as well by always having the lid on top of your container when you are not watering it.

The final thing that you need to do is constantly turn your compost. All this means is that you must take a small shovel or other tool and flip around your compost inside of the container. This will ensure that your compost has enough oxygen mixed throughout it and the soil to keep the decomposition process happening. Depending on the amount it will be done in around 3 months.

How To Use Your Compost

How you choose to add your compost to your soil depends on how large, and how many nutrients, you want distributed around your plants area. If you are planting something large, such as trees or bushes, you will want to a large amount of compost into the soil before planting them. This way as they grow and absorb nutrients they will have enough to sustain them for awhile. If you were to instead scatter the compost on the surface of the soil the rain could have a difficult time allowing the nutrients far enough to reach the roots once the plant grows larger.

If you are working instead with potted plants or small flower beds it may be in your better interest to instead sprinkle the compost on top of the soil. This will allow the nutrients to drain into the soil and because these types of plants do not grow roots that run as deep into the soil as others it will be easy for the plants to always reach them. It is also easy to add these additional nutrients as is needed by the plant. This is especially useful for plants that are more delicate when it comes to their chemical balances.

Why Is Fertilization Important?

As organic materials begin to decompose they form a substance, also known as compost, that is packed full of nutrients. The six most crucial of which are magnesium, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, calcium, and potassium. Each of these nutrients perform a key role in ensuring that all of the plant’s systems function properly so that the plant stays healthy.

Magnesium to start with helps the plant properly go through photosynthesis. When doing this it produces Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a special pigment found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. It is this pigment which causes the plant to have a healthy green color. This is the reason behind why when plants have dying brown leaves you can often attribute it to a magnesium deficiency.

In plants Sulfur is largely responsible for keeping the plant healthy as it is the main nutrient that protects the plant from diseases and aids it with seed production. Also Sulfur is what allows the plant to construct the proteins which make up the majority of their structure. With a low level of Sulfur plants will become wilty and weak, likely unable to last long.

Potassium also plays a role in photosynthesis similarly to Magnesium. It is in charge of opening and closing the stomata of the plant’s cells. This stomata acts as a gateway between the plant’s cell and the environment, so in more simple terms, Potassium controls how much CO2 flows into the plant cell.

Nitrogen partially does the same job as both Magnesium and Sulfur combined. On one hand it works similarly to Magnesium because it helps aid the plant’s production of Chlorophyll, and on the other hand it works the same way as Sulfur because it helps with the production of proteins. Because it does both these jobs if the plant is low on all three components it stands little to no chance of surviving, especially without any changes being made to its soil.

Calcium in plants plays an enormous role in the health of a plant because it is responsible for the formation of cell walls and holding them together. Cell walls are what protect the cells insides, including the plant’s DNA, from becoming damaged by outside factors. If the cell wall were to become damaged it could lead to the plant’s growth of root tips and new leaves to malfunction. This would result in leaves and roots that are deformed.

Phosphorus is responsible for seeing that the plant grows at a healthy rate. In order to go through processes such as cell division, respiration (producing energy that the plant is able to use), and then storing that energy, it is necessary that the plant has enough phosphorus in its system. Without being able to complete any of these processes the plant’s growth would be stunted. Depending on what stage the plant is at in its life cycle when it develops this phosphorus deficiency the plant could get stuck either as a sapling or a fully grown plant that is unable to generate the seeds necessary for reproduction.

If you haven’t yet picked out a piece of land or are in the early stages of setting up your own small stake in this world I hope that this article can bring you some good bits of information to help you on your journey.

Before you go off grid:

Know The Land During All Seasons

If possible, camp on the land multiple times throughout the year during different seasons.  Try to spend a couple nights camping on the land in both the winter and summer months.

This is a very important step that will reveal tons of useful information about the land that you hope to eventually live on.  The last thing that you want to happen is that you spend your hard earned money on a new location and find out later that it is very difficult or even or unlivable entirely.

Looking at a place online using google maps or whatever listing service you are buying the plot of land from provides a lot of useful information but not nearly as much as a hands on experience actually living on the property for a couple nights.

Know Where Your Resources Will Come From

Make sure that you know beforehand where you are going to get the resources that you will ultimately need to survive once you have set up shop.

Food Resources

It is vital beforehand to make sure that the land that you will be living on is at least semi-farmable.

Does it have good soil?  Make sure it has soil and quality soil or else it can take a few years to make that soil right and you don’t want to have to wait multiple seasons before you can start growing your own food.

If there is no good soil this isn’t the end of the world you can use processes to help get things going fast such gathering all types of organic material grass clippings or leaves and collecting them in a compost area.  In addition save all organic food scraps in a composting bin that can be added to the soil later. 

You can also utilize a worm bin to help get that organic material broken down fast. 

As you begin to collect a sizable amount of organic scrap it might be a good idea to ship in a bit manure to help this process along or if you have the budget to think about buying a few animals to help with this stinky process.

If you plan on getting chickens, go ahead and get them as early as possible because they are great for getting the soil right and their manure is also great for getting the grounds right. 

Water Resources

Make sure you have access to clean water and really think about how hard it is going to be to get it into your home.  Is there a natural spring or creek nearby or do you plan on collecting rain water?

Collecting rain water can be an awesome passive way to have fresh water at all times when done correctly and when you live in an area that has sufficient rainfall for your needs. The main problem with this method is if you consume an excessive amount of water but still can work fantastically when used in conjunction with other methods.

A natural spring is the ideal way to get water especially if the spring is at a higher elevation than the place where you are going to build your home.  Gravity is your friend when it comes to this as no one wants to have to carry water back to the house everyday even if its downhill.  Gravity fed systems are much easier to deal with than pressurized systems and can  easily run faucets and showers.   A perfect scenario is have the spring piped downhill directly to your faucets.

Make sure that your plumbing from source to home is deep enough below ground so that it doesn’t freeze.

If you can’t utilize gravity to help with getting the water then you will need to set up a pump system which isn’t too difficult and is the next best option. 

Until you have a system set up you may have to carry water, but this method is no fun and you shouldn’t plan on this as your long term solution.

Power Resources

Know where your power is going to come from.  Technology is moving at an awesome pace and there are many great solutions for wind power, solar power, or hydro power.  If you have a location where you can combine all three systems then you will be way more comfortable down the line once it is all installed and running smoothly. 

Solar Power is not as hard as it might seem at first

When you first start looking into solar power systems you may be overwhelmed, but don’t be.  You can handle it! 

There are plenty of great resources around the web as well as this site to help you get something up and running with just a little bit of effort.  The problem with solar is that it can be a little bit pricey but overall they are getting much more efficient and a whole lot less expensive than they once were. 

Most wind power systems are pretty quick and easy to set up especially if you already have a battery system in place to hold that power until you want to use it.

Of the three system I would say that hydro is the most difficult to get going but this can be different for everyone as each person has their own set of strengths. One of the main setbacks for hydro power is that water levels can fluctuate so wildly during different times of the year or during flooding events that may damage or even wash away you system all together.

Once you understand how power is generated, how you can transfer and regulate that power, and then ultimately how that power is stored, hint.. it’s batteries, no matter what system or systems you decide to go with they all work roughly the same way.

At Some Point You Are Going To Run Out Of Power

No matter how hard you try it is inevitable that at some point things are going to go wrong and you will be without power.  Don’t panic, once again.. you’ve got this. 

Batteries go bad, sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate to provide what you need fast enough.  That is why it is critical to have multiple sources of power for those weird stretches of no sun or no wind that you rely on so dearly for power. 

To help mitigate the risk of this happening it is always great to use led lights wherever possible.  They are getting so cheap, are super bright, and use such little power even when turned on all day long. 

There are also tons of awesome off grid appliances that use way less power than standard every day home appliances. 

So tough luck you are probably going to lose power at some point but just be prepared for when it happens.  Make sure you have plenty of quality flashlights and headlamps for when everything goes dark.  There are numerous great  rechargeable options that are better than throwing out loads of old triple and double A batteries. 

Know What You Are Going To Do With Your Trash

No matter how green and environmentally friendly you are there will always be at least some trash.  You can’t burn it all.  Figure out where you can take it when it starts to pile up.  Know how long it’s going to take to get there and what type of vehicle you will need to accomplish this dreaded chore.

Animal Proof Your Trash

Depending on your location you are most likely going to have to animal proof your trash stockpile.  Bears are the worst and they will definitely try to get into your stuff to eat whatever they can find and I have even seen them take the entire trash can down into the woods with them spreading the trash all over the place in the process, so chain it up if you can.  Even if you don’t have bears all the other critters in the wild are also looking for nice trash snack so it’s always great to be prepared beforehand. 

There are easy install locks that you can put on your bins to keep out the animals or the other option is to lock up the bins in a small shed.  One thing I have seen about bears is they will for sure try to get in, but once they know they can’t get what they smell they probably won’t stick around too long. 

What Is The Best Method For Heating Your House Off Grid?

Since you are working with limited resources compared to the suburbs or cities you will find that burning wood is most likely going to be the option that you go with.  But you will quickly find that gathering, splitting, and stacking firewood is a ton of work and not very fun so what options do you have to minimize that.

There are great log splitters that can help with this process which tend to be a little expensive but let me tell you they sure are great to have once you’ve split wood with an axe enough times.

The best thing that I have found to cut down the amount of times that you have to do this chore is using a slow burning wood stove method that can drastically conserve the amount of wood used.  A great option is a rocket mass heater also called a rocket stove.

If you can afford it get yourself a four wheeler or a gator with a small trailer to help move this firewood around and make sure you have a dry enclosure to store it in once it’s collected as no one likes to try and get a fire started with wet fire wood.

A last thing to think about on this subject is the amount of time it takes for that wood to dry out enough to be burned easily so gather it early enough to be dry by the time you need to use it.  You are going to have a tough time trying to burn a tree that was recently cut down.

Know Which Home Types Are Best For Different Types Of Weather Conditions

Are you going to be living in a Yurt or a Log Cabin? Some living spaces are better for cold and some better for hot so make sure you have enough ventilation for the summer months as you don’t want the heat to get trapped in your living space as it can be a miserable experience.  Inversely, make sure you can block or mitigate that ventilation for those cold winter months. 

If you are struggling with air circulation there are great off grid ventilation and fan system options, perfect for solar power setups, that you can use to get things moving throughout your living area.

For the hot summer months there are also off grid air conditioning units that work great on solar power setups.

Know The Best Processes For Waste Removal

Surprise, you’re going poop a lot when you are living off the grid.  So what are you going to do with it, what are your options?

Many live with such luxury that this is not something that we have to think about very much.  What happens when we are no longer hooked up to the sewer lines of the grid?  Well one of the best options for an off grid toilet is the use of a composting toilet.  They come in a wide variety of styles some being much more expensive and much more luxurious than others.  But this tends to be the best option when it comes to getting rid of your stuff. 

Despite what many people think, you can have them set up in a way where there is literally no smell at all.  To anyone who hasn’t tried one before the idea seems gross to them but in reality they can be very clean and completely odor free.

If a composting toilet is just not going to cut it for you luckily there are other options.  You can have a septic tank system installed on your property.  Septic tank systems are great but they will need to be emptied every 1-3 years depending on the amount of use.  Installing a septic tank is also significantly more expensive as a route than simply using a composting toilet so that is definitely something that you will need to consider.

Have The Right Tools Before Going Off Grid

Doing your research to accumulate all of the necessary tools before going off grid is going to save you a ton of headaches later down the road.  Obviously you don’t have to get everything beforehand but getting the most important items will allow the process to go much more smoothly.

If you think that you will want to grow your own food then you will at a minimum need basic gardening tools.  If there are trees on your property then you are definitely going to want a chainsaw and axe of some sort.

Although pretty expensive a basic four wheeler or gator will end up being more helpful than you can imagine particularly if it is difficult to maneuver a car around your land.  At a minimum you will want to have a wheel barrow to move all the items that you can’t easily carry by hand. 

Do your research on tools, try to brainstorm what needs you will have especially when it comes to shaping the land that you will be living on.

Know That Things Always Take Longer Than You Think They Will

This may seem silly at first but sometimes delays on certain projects can be just downright unbearable.  If you plan to live uncomfortably for a while until you’ve built that next luxury such as running water from the faucet, extra power from solar, wind, or hydro, know that it always takes longer than you think.  If you approach all projects with this mentality then when it finishes early is all the more sweet!

Just Because You Don’t Know How To Do Something Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Try

I know you have access to the internet because you are reading this post and let me tell you a little secret… you can learn just about anything on the internet! 

So many projects seem super difficult because we have no background installing or building anything like it before but the internet is such a wonderful tool where people are constantly trying to add value to others by providing a free resource to them. 

If you have a question just ask it in the Google search. Someone has probably already had that problem and solved it. There are so many awesome free resources such as eBooks, YouTube videos, and blogs on just about every subject you can think of.  You just have to ask the right questions to learn anything that you want.

I have built this site to do just that, be a free resource for all to use. I want to help others on their journey to get off the grid, to go green, to finally live in a self sufficient way that they can be proud of.

If you are reading this then you are probably in the first steps of preparation to take that leap and go off grid or you are already off the grid but trying to learn something new to live more comfortably.

That’s great and I am so glad that you have found this site and I hope that it can help teach you how to do those things that you never thought you could. First do your research and then go for it, try something hard.

Remember that there’s no exact right way to do things.  Living off the grid is not a perfect science.  Yes there are ways to make things way easier but your methods don’t have to be perfect.  Do your research on things that have worked out best for other people and then go out and try to implement them for yourself.  If you get it perfect on the first try then congratulations, you rule!  But for me things haven’t always been so easy when trying to do something that I have never done before so I always make sure to do as much research as I can before going for it.  But the main key is that you have to actually go for it and not get stuck in research mode. 

I wish you the best of luck getting off the grid.

Cheers!